Jackie Chan begins filming of 'God's Shield: Final Warning' in Kazakhstan

Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan has announced that filming for the fourth installment of the action-adventure comedy series "Armour of God: Ultimatum" has begun in Kazakhstan, with Kazakh and Chinese film production teams participating.

During the official ceremony of the launch of the first shots, Jackie Chan confirmed that the film project comes after many years of preparation and planning, noting that field filming operations will continue between July and  October this year in the Almaty and Mangistau regions.

The executive producer of the Kazakh company "Sәlem Entertainment", Igor Tsai, explained in press statements that the choice of Kazakhstan came due to its unique landscapes and the diversity of its locations, which give the works of the "A+" category new visual dimensions.

Tsai added that the team was keen to integrate Kazakh natural sites, especially the Bozzhyra Grand Canyon, into the film's basic script to look like an authentic part of the events and not just a backdrop for the scenes, noting that some of the complementary scenes will be filmed later in Hong Kong.

 In this installment, Jackie Chan returns to portray his famous character "Asian Hawk", a treasure hunter who embarks on a new cinematic adventure in search of an ancient artifact known as "Tumar" worth more than €20 million.

Production sources confirmed that the film represents the fruit of a joint cooperation between the Kazakh company and the company "Billion Target" in Hong Kong, with the aim of exchanging experiences and building a developed production environment in the Central Asian region.

Directing by Robert Cohn and creative direction by Jackie Chan

Producer Igor Tsai said  that "Armour of God: Ultimatum" is the first film in the history of the series that Jackie Chan does not direct himself, as the task of directing was assigned to Kazakh director Robert Kuhn.

Tsai said that Kun has extensive experience in executing action scenes, starting his career as a dangerous action performer and has been involved in international projects with major companies such as Disney, Paramount, Universal and 20thCentury Fox, making him the perfect bridge to transfer creative vision to field execution.

Regulatory reports confirmed that Jackie Chan continues to directly oversee all creative processes and production decisions to ensure that the values and excellence of the film series are preserved.

The sources pointed out that every decision regarding the text or decorations is subject to a rigorous approval mechanism under the supervision of Chan, who is the main driver of the spirit of the work and its artistic vision in front of and behind the camera.

 Director Robert Kuhn said that Jackie Chan came up with an innovative idea based on combining multiple combat styles in the design of major action scenes, drawing on his more than half a century of experience. Kuhn explained that the cinematic work aims to introduce new innovations in the world of action scenes and dangerous challenges to surprise audiences following the series around the world.

Field coordination and integration between action scene teams

According to executive sources, Jackie Chan's special team has taken over the coordination with the Kazakh action studio "Kun-Do" to design and execute all the fight scenes and dangerous movements in the film. The sources confirmed that the coordination between the Chinese and Kazakh teams is carried out in a high spirit of professionalism and discipline, to benefit from mutual experiences in the implementation of highly complex combat footage.

Igor Tsai noted that the global star always strives to present scenes that he has never performed before in his busy career, which prompted the team to develop kinetic ideas that suit the geographical environment of the Mengistau and Almaty regions. Tsai said that the cadre and technical capabilities available in Kazakhstan are able to meet the strict standards imposed by the Hong Kong production team.

 The project concluded the report by noting that the field work is proceeding according to the set schedule to catch up with the global exhibition dates once the technical processes and editing are completed. The production company confirmed that the film represents a strategic step to attract international film projects to the Central Asian region and highlight its tourism and cultural components.